All We Hid
by eltda
Summary: RPF. Colin's confused and tired at Bradley's coyness; he just wants him to come clean. Bradley loves Colin too much. Just a fluff, fluff, fluff! One shot... Maybe?


**THIS IS MY FIRST ONE-SHOT ATTEMPT! HOPE YOU LIKE IT. :) **

**I'M THINKING ABOUT... CONTINUING WITH THIS STORY. YOU THINK I SHOULD?**

"You know I care about you" he whispered against his shoulder.

"Why? I mean I can tell, I feel that you do, I just have trouble understanding why." Colin hadn't meant for his response to start as a question, but he couldn't help himself asking Bradley. It was valid, and if anything else, his answer would somehow stir them in a new direction. This was tiring, anything would be better than to be stuck where they were.

"I..." Bradley stumbled with his words, having to begin twice. "Would you buy it if I told you that I care for all my mates the same way?" he finally said, sounding more hopeful than Colin would have liked.

Colin snickered, shook his head and mouthed a "no."

"Fine," Bradley retorted. "But just so you know, you're the one who officially began to make things weird. So if you must-"

"Excuse me?" Colin cut him off, "when did I begin to make 'things weird'" he protested.

Bradley seemed to ponder that for a second; amused expression and exaggerating grin notwithstanding. All Colin could do was stare at him from under eyelashes, unsure if he wanted to actually hear Bradley spur nonsense and stall and stall before making up some convincing story that would not answer his question. Eventually, after a moment of silence, Bradley responded with "because, you just thought it would be wise to come into my life and stir everything up inside. It's like you purposefully took a spoon and mixed everything up."

"I'm not hearing an actual complain there," Colin teased, "besides, need I remind you that we were _both_ casted to, oh I don't know, act on a television show? We did not even know each other from the start, and I was casted first." He felt he needed to point the last part out, in case Bradley decided to somehow turn that fact against Colin.

"That's not what I meant," Bradley said.

It was curious how happy-go-lucky Bradley James had at the moment turned into a serious, pondering individual. The more Colin stared at him, the more he ached at seeing his friend struggle with his emotions.

"I'm sorry," Colin said eventually, unsure as what else to say. What had begun as unimportant rambling between the two had turned into some sort of serious conversation neither was sure wanted to have at the moment. Did not want to discuss ever.

It was strange really. Lately all of their conversations ended up leaving one or the other confused and at times a bit angry. It wasn't that Bradley would insult Colin or vice versa. Bradley constantly made himself clear of how he felt about Colin. Often professing affection in front of a crowd by placing an arm around Colin's shoulder, keeping it there and giving a little squeeze, because that's what best mates did, thank you very much.

It was when it came to actually talk about _stuff_ as Bradley coherently called 'this thing' between the two that Bradley shied away and became this person that Colin wasn't sure he wanted to acquaint himself with. Colin was used to easy and carefree Bradley. He would never admit it to him, but one of the things he most liked about Bradley was his free spirited nature. The person who now sat next to him with troubled eyes and grim expression was a contrast that Colin did not want to be part of. If 'this thing' was making Bradley so miserable, then Colin would have to eventually set things straight, or at least arrange them in a way that forever erased that forlorn look in Bradley's face.

It didn't matter that Colin would suffer in the end, because he was strong. Admittedly stronger than Bradley he knew, and he would rather suffer silently than have to change his relationship with Bradley. They were friends after all. It wasn't meant for them to like each other in the first place. If this attraction Colin felt wouldn't fade away with time, then he supposed he would only have to stand Bradley's presence during filming. He longed for a great longevity to the show, but a sudden sense of loss washed over him and for the tiniest of moments he wished for the last season of _Merlin_ to be upon him.

That, in turn, made him realize that his attraction for Bradley couldn't and wouldn't fade away because it was not simply attraction.

"Don't be sorry," Bradley objected. His concerned look enough for Colin to shoot him a lopsided smile.

"Gosh, you'd think I did something terrible to you," Colin teased.

"You know how I hate Cory, Santiago's stuntman?"

God only Bradley would come up with a decoy so obvious, and yet Colin knew it would distract the matter at hand somehow. It always did. Never mind that this was the first time either had gotten this far and this deep into ever talking about "them."

"I'm not sure that's exactly how you call the job he does but yes, I know. You made it quite clear that time he tried to show me how to roll down a hill without doing permanent damage to myself." It _had_ been funny when Bradley mentioned how it would be a better idea that someone that hadn't inflicted permanent damage to themselves to teach Colin instead. Colin had reprimanded Bradley then, knowing that Cory only wanted to be helpful and even though he sometimes appeared a little over-friendly for Colin's liking, he actually liked Cory. He shook his head at the memory, mainly because he never understood the resentment. "What about it?"

"I heard him talking to Katie right before he was going to teach you the stunt" he said, shifting uncomfortably on his chair, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees. He looked into Colin's eyes, searching for something but he only found confusion sparked with curiosity.

"And?" Colin pressed.

"He told Katie that if you agreed for him to teach you, that you'd have to spend time together and get to know each other and that he would be able to make a move on you" Bradley sputtered that in a single sentence, making it difficult for Colin to understand exactly what he was saying.

"Cory likes me?" the tone of surprise and the sheepish grin did not reassure Bradley about sharing this information. "I didn't know that!"

Bradley groaned. "How could you not? He has all but asked you out in front of the rest of us."

"I'm still not following why you decide to mention this now" Colin offered, if Bradley was trying to set him up with other people he swore he would throw his shoe at his face.

"When I heard their conversation, and especially when Katie _encouraged_ him to get close to you, the traitor, I… I felt this anger and pain and I knew that if he so much as offered to put you at risk, let alone the thought of something actually happening to you... I swear I could have just killed him right then." Bradley was holding the sides of his head with both hands.

"Thank you" he offered fervently. "I already knew that you cared enough about me, and you know that I care about you as well," he added with a small smile.

"No!" Bradley yelled angrily, "I mean yes." Worry lines etched the sides of his eyes and Colin felt heartbroken that whatever it was that Bradley was trying to get out was so difficult for him. Colin yearned to just hug him and help him express his thoughts but whenever he tried that, Bradley would just smile and keep everything else to himself. It have never had gotten out of hand or this intense and Colin dared not to move or say anything that would jeopardize Bradley's sudden attempt at releasing his thoughts.

Colin watched him in silence. He wondered if he should say something or if he should simply wait, he knew well enough that Bradley was unpredictable and that if he chose to, he could very well just change subject and talk nonsense as if what had just happened actually hadn't. Colin pondered that idea for a moment and under the circumstance it didn't seem such a terrible course of action. He preferred to see Bradley smile over, over this miserable person he didn't know.

"It's not just that I care about you" he said all of the sudden, raising his head and looking at Colin with a considerably calmer expression. "The anger I felt was just part of my reaction. I knew he wouldn't let anything hurt you and Katie would have never encouraged anything that could put you at risk. It was my attempt at justifying my anger. A way to justify that if I broke his skull there wouldn't be a way for you to say yes when he asked you out."

Colin just stared at him like an idiot, trying to process those few words that said more than anything else Bradley ever had.

"Colin" he whispered more to himself than at him, "that was the moment I realized that I was stupidly in love with you. I didn't know what to do about it, I still don't know wha-

Bradley's confession was stopped by being pushed forward violently into Colin's arms and into to a crushing and desperate kiss. It was a bit over the top and pathetic but after all that angst Bradley had alluded, it felt right and a very Bradley-ish way to handle the situation.

Bradley held Colin's face tenderly as the kissed slowed down to a comfortable pace. Their lips danced the sweetest ballad, and Colin thought Bradley tasted a million times better than he could have ever imagined. The way Bradley held on to him, so possessively and confident was enough for Colin to be driven into the highest state of pleasure he had ever experienced – and it wasn't even about sex. They parted for air, pressing their foreheads together.

"I love you too" Colin confessed, a red tone coloring his cheeks as he realized what he had initiated.

Bradley rubbed a thumb through his cheek, flashing him the brightest, proudest smile he had ever seen from him. It filled his heart.

"So about Cory" Colin began, "why are you so sure he wouldn't let anything hurt me?"

"Are you all of the sudden interested in that pile of overrated muscles?" Bradley teased, not without a bit of panic lacing his voice.

"I do like muscles" Colin said, earning a light shove to his shoulder and then a tender ruffle to his hair. "Mostly, however, I just wonder why it was him that made you realized that you…" he was suddenly too self-conscious to say the words.

"That I love you" Bradley said easily to him, it was such a relief to admit it.

"Yes" he grinned, "that you love me. It's not like there hadn't been any other people that you knew and pointed out without me being aware that were interested in me."

Bradley stared blankly at him. "You're too smart for your own good. After all that I went through to tell you I love you instead of being smitten by my confession of course you pick the least thing I want to talk about."

"Sorry" Colin said, actually meaning it because it was true. He shouldn't care right now what made Bradley realize he loved him, what made him say it out loud. "It's just that I wasn't sure where you were going with it and I was trying to connect the dots and when we stopped kissing it was the next dot that I felt needed to be connected." He knew he sounded like a poorly trained detective but he wanted to be honest with Bradley, like he always had.

"You're mental, you know that?" but he didn't wait for a response. "It's because out of all those people I pointed out, some of which were totally not, I just wanted to see how you reacted." Colin hit him with his elbow, not really amused. "Anyway, after doing a little research about the guy I found that he is actually a very nice guy, great in fact."

"Is that why you wanted to crush his skull?" Now Colin was amused.

"I didn't say it was a rational thing. He has been the only person I have actually felt… threatened by. When I found out he was more than infatuated by you I felt like kidnapping you and taking you to an island where only I could look at you the way he often did." Bradley didn't look ashamed at all at his kidnapping confession and somehow Colin didn't feel like he should.

"I never noticed" Colin admitted.

"I know" Bradley smiled. "Still the mere thought made me feel incredibly jealous, and you weren't even mine. I didn't have a claim on you. You could have liked him for all I knew."

"I think that from the moment you took me home when I fell ill at that Chinese restaurant I was yours."

"But that was only two months after meeting each other" Bradley concluded.

"I know."

"How, how come you never told me?" The confusion in his face and the implication of his question hinted that if Colin had told him, they could have saved themselves all this… troubles.

"Because I didn't know how you felt. I valued your friendship too much to let it turn awkward or worse, stop being friends for telling you I had feelings for you." The memory hurt Colin Bradley sensed, and placed an arm around him, pulling Colin's head on his chest.

"I'm sorry" he kissed into his head. "I never considered guys before. It's just that you Colin, you're so fucking special that I feel the _need_ to love you, as if the want wasn't enough."

Colin smiled into Bradley's chest. Bradley noticed and held him tighter, pulling him out of his chair and brining him over his, placing Colin on top of him. They kissed again. Intent clear in their tongues, and before they would move to anything else, Colin felt that he should address a very important subject.

"I know you think that this is somehow all about me. That winning me is some sort of prize for you… If you don't think that then I would feel like an egomaniac and an ass. But I just feel that I should say that I also feel the need to love you, and that I can't be close without wanting to touch you, to feel reassured by you. You manage to bring me all this comfort and safety that I stopped thinking and worrying about everything else."

Colin knew that Bradley understood what he meant, and he only reaffirmed that by the soft smile he offered him. Bradley's eyes searched his face, not questioningly, but as if he wanted to commit all of Colin's features to memory. "You are a prize" he whispered, holding him tighter.

Their tongues met again, sighs and sweet mumbles and promises locked with each kiss. Neither seemed bothered by the fact that although they were in a somewhat private room, someone could still enter the room unannounced.

For all Colin knew, he was in his island where only Bradley had access, where only Bradley could take him back and forth with each tender touch and loving kiss.

END.

**PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT! =)**


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